


pareidolia

by kotaro_kun



Series: from me, with dread [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Car Accidents, Character Death, Drug Abuse, Halloween, Heart Attacks, M/M, Mystery, Mystery Stories, Overdosing, Suicide, Supernatural Elements, a lil bit of gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27343675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaro_kun/pseuds/kotaro_kun
Summary: Three students die in the span of five days, two more would die in less than a week. All unrelated. Do you see now? Do you see how they're all connected?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi (implied)
Series: from me, with dread [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006623
Comments: 18
Kudos: 31





	pareidolia

**Author's Note:**

> happy late halloween

Takeda tore his eyes away from the mutilated body in front of him, not bearing any longer the sign of his student’s butchered face. If he had to rely on facial features to identify the young man in front of him he wouldn’t be able to. Thankfully - not that he was thankful for anything in this situation -, he was able to recognize the jeans and shirt the person was wearing.

Sawamura Daichi.

The professor felt his throat close as he watched the university staff try to quickly conceal the body from the curious eyes of the students. It wouldn’t do for their campus to be associated with a terrible image like this. But Takeda bitterly thought it was futile to attempt at this point. Sawamura was the third dead student in the span of a couple days.

* * *

Takeda closed the door to his office, falling to his chair. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he slouched on top of the desk, heavy head being supported by his hands, nails digging into his scalp. 

It didn't make any sense to him. He had just watched the tape of the night his student Sawamura Daichi had died. Had seen the young man's last moments and it was safe to say he had never seen a more gruesome thing in his life. The twenty one year old had clawed his own eyes out.

When he had heard the rumors around campus he was quick to dismiss them. Impossible, for Daichi was a sane student with a good head on his shoulders. Except apparently it wasn't. He had seen it with his own two eyes and witnessed how the rumours paled in comparison to the reality.

Mr. Sawamura was a bright and diligente mind, a natural born leader and applied student. He was enrolled in almost all the classes Takeda taught and exceeded in all of them. A true tragedy. Being the last person on record to see the student alive, Takeda was put under surveillance for a short period, although he had told the police the events of the previous night with extended details and alibis, but still it was only natural. 

Takeda had conducted a lab class the night prior and Daichi was in attendance, as he always usually were. Once the class was over Mr. Sawamura asked to stay a while longer in the lab to run a few more models as the true dedicated and curious student he was. At the time the professor thought that more knowledge could not harm the young man and authorized his stay, as long as he put everything into order before leaving. That was around 8:40 PM.

The next day Takeda entered his designated classroom, where he should see his top student awaiting his lesson in the front row, but for the professor’s surprise Daichi was absent. The reason would surface soon enough with the discovery of his body under a tree on campus.

As said previously Ittetsu was under suspicion until the university provided the surveillance cameras images and the truth came to light. The video showed Daichi leaving the lab building and walking in the direction of the dormitories, at about 9:42 PM. Exactly an hour after Takeda had left him unsupervised. A couple minutes later, still heading in the same direction the student started showing a strange behavior. He started darting from tree to tree, crouching down and protecting his head with his arms, as though something would fall from the sky or was hovering above him. Not long after Daichi started sinking his fingers into his eyes, mutilating his own flesh until collapsing and eventually dying from blood loss. Every last agonizing moment of his existence was caught in various different angles by the cameras. The case was closed immediately after.

A suicide. A terrible and unconventional one, but still one. No theories as to why a healthy, bright twenty one year old boy would choose to die by self mutilating his face satisfied Takeda. No drugs could be to blame for the autopsy concluded there was no conventional drugs on his blood. Which left only the mental breakdown theory. Daichi was an exemplary student with dozens of credit hours and even a part-time job on the weekends. But if so wouldn’t his teacher, who had taught him since the beginning of his college career, have noticed something amiss? The night of his death Mr. Sawamura had acted like every other day, asking questions and completely engrossed in the material. Before leaving the lab alone he had placed everything in order, not a scrap of paper out of place. If he was so overwhelmed with school and work why would he choose to stay an extra hour behind?

It didn’t make sense, just like it didn’t make sense for three healthy and lively students dying in the span of five days. All three separate cases and in different circumstances according to the police, but it was too much of a coincidence for the professor’s mind.

He would start his own investigation. 

* * *

First it was Kuroo Tetsurou.

Not the most dedicated student, but smart enough to be absent in numerous classes and still pass. Takeda had no doubts that if he grew out of his immature behavior and disassociated from the fraternity life he could get on the same level as Daichi. But as it was he was hardly disturbed when Mr. Kuroo didn’t show up to his morning class. He passed it as another unannounced absence and went on with his day. However a sense of worry started to grow in him when the following day came and his student wasn’t present for his mid terms. He knew that for Mr. Kuroo his discipline was just another one to pass not to learn, but he was still aware he had to at least be present for his midterms to get a grade. So he made a point to not miss them.

The reason for his prolonged absence however would be informed the next morning, after Kuroo’s body had been discovered beneath an overpass in a decayed area.

Kuroo Tetsurou had passed away from an extreme overdose of opioids, which was not an uncommon death cause in the area he was found in. The neighborhood was a known place for needle junkies and questionable characters, a place Takeda wouldn’t see his student frequenting, especially after talking to his fraternity brothers. Mr. Suguru, a close friend of Tetsurou confided in him that the young man only used occasionally during parties, and that he didn’t have an addiction to any drug, alcohol, pot or opioids. This was confirmed by his other fraternity and college peers who said Kuroo would often rather watch his friends consume the illicit substances than to do it himself.

Furthermore despite his lack of interest in being top of the class, Kuroo still took great care to keep his good reputation around campus, passing all his classes with minimum effort, being involved on the campus social life, making connections for his future. It made it even harder to comprehend his sudden death. Would this well spoken, smart, charming and social young man want to be perceived as a needle junkie? Would he want his last moments on Earth to be spent overdosing under a damp concrete bridge? If his problems with drugs had escalated to the point of him abusing his body in a unfamiliar public place, shouldn't there have been signs of his addiction? Shouldn't his friends have noticed anything different? 

Takeda walked down the sidewalk observing his surroundings. The streets were quiet, but not the peaceful kind of quiet like the ones from happy residential streets after sunset. It was tense and suffocating, because he knew the streets weren't empty and he could feel various eyes on him, observing and studying the foreign person. But no one talked. Just observed. He silently thought his decision of only bringing a couple dollars and an old cellphone was looking less and less like overkill. 

A short amount of time later and he arrived at the sight. His eyes locked with the vandalized and dirty concrete bridge where a lively student had spent his final moments. The place looked so cold and lonely. He wanted to get closer, investigate the scene, see if he could find anything, any clues, but his feet just stayed glued to the asphalt. He was hit with a sudden crushing feeling on his chest, and his eyes stung. It was the same feeling as when he saw Daichi's bloodied body on campus. Two _kids_ who deserved such long happy lives suddenly had theirs cut short. It was sad and just that. Trying to put a complex name to such feelings was useless. Hopelessness, anger, bitterness. Sadness.

Ittetsu took a deep breath and headed forth. He wouldn't come all this way and not do what he came to do. Tetsurou didn't deserve his half-hearted efforts.

Thankfully there was no one camping under the overpass and Takeda could explore and poke in peace. The place looked even more disgusting up close, as expected. There were a few discarded needles, a lot of trash, a lot of unidentified substances that didn't look all that dangerous, just gross, some used condoms and food wrappers. Nothing he could link to Kuroo. He looked up in hope of seeing anything on the top of the bridge, maybe something to explain Daichi covering his head, but the search also came out fruitless.

"Well, I guess finding clues isn't as easy as they make it seem" he chuckled bitterly as he climbed back into the side street.

However before Takeda could head back in the direction he had come from he noticed someone's stare on him. Wryly turning his head he found himself making eye contact with a middle aged man, dressed in ragged clothes and leaning against a shopping cart full of hubcaps. The man stared for a few more seconds before nodding, becoming Takeda closer. The professor approached the man with uncertain steps, not sure what this soul would want with him and wondering if it was a trap. However before he could come all the way the reason was revealed.

"Yer here 'cause of the kid?" the man motioned in the direction of the overpass. And just like that Takeda started power-walking in the man's direction.

"Yes. He was a student." he smiled tight lipped. The man nodded again.

"I'm Rick" the man's voice wasn't a pleasant one. It was raspy and rough, as if he hadn't drank water in days or smoked three packs of cigarettes daily. Takeda honestly didn't know which one was more plausible. He smiled nonetheless but was cut off before he could introduce himself. "I saw the boy arriving in the evening. Tall, hair black and messy?"

"Yes, that'd be him" he quickly confirmed. Maybe he would be able to collect some information to aid his investigation. "Did you- did you notice anything uncommon about how he was acting?" 

Rick raised an eyebrow. "He was pretty wild. Not loud, just disturbed. Kept looking up, his eyes were as big as one of these," he gestured to the hubcaps on his cart. "Boy looked so scared I thought someone was after him, but he stayed alone the entire night. When I left in the morning he was still there."

* * *

Bokuto Kotaro's death was the hardest blow the university had to take.

He was the second victim on that week, when people were still in shock at Mr. Kuroo's death, and sadly none of us would have the time to process the unfortunate event before another tragedy struck.

Takeda had never taught Mr. Bokuto or interacted with him for that matter, but just like everyone on campus he was well acquainted with his face.

Bokuto was the star of their champion team, one of the most promising players in the country and the school's pride. There couldn't be someone better to represent their prestigious university than a charming and handsome jock but Bokuto's popularity went beyond that. He was well-liked and shined on and off-camp with enough personality for three different people, not a single mean bone on his body. 

Ittetsu would get a glimpse of his black and gold jersey, the number four on his back sported with pride, when he stopped by his class on mondays to meet with his fraternity brother Tetsurou, always surrounded by rowdy people. After every astrobiology class, before lunch, he’d gather his materials listening to Mr. Bokuto’s laughter ring down the corridor. 

Kotaro was the life of any room he was in but his light shone the brightest in the field. Takeda supposed it was poetic, that was where his light would fade too.

An ordinary day, just like any other full of excruciating training and exhaustive exercises. Granted, Bokuto's best friend's funeral was held just the day before and some might argue it was too soon for him to be back on full speed but the young athlete coped better with his feelings this way. Takeda wouldn't say he ignored them, he just gave himself some hours of peace by exhausting his body over his mind. So at that fateful night, Kotaro decided to push himself a bit further and run a couple extra laps around the track, accompanied by a few teammates and with the supervision of his coach.

Under the clear starry sky, Bokuto started his last lap, the last thing he had to finish before going home and resting, alone with his thoughts. Unfortunately he'd never get to do that. His peers, whom had shared victories upon victories with the star by their side, watched the six foot three man stumble forward, rolling on to his back with wide open and horrified eyes gazing up at the sky. His chest convulsed up and down while his right hand clawed at his shirt over his heart where a raging fire had started consuming him, one that the cool night air could not quell.

Bokuto passed away surrounded by his supportive teammates and coaches. The dark night sky was the last thing he'd ever see. 

Early the next morning the news came. A fatal heart attack. Obviously not a reason for any investigation. After all Mr. Bokuto was a big guy, who despite being an athlete still had a couple years before professional life and a slower metabolism to indulge in snacks, fast food and alcohol. The reasons started piling up when the long history of heart disease in his family was discovered, added to the heavy and exhausting exercises he did daily and the stress he was under with the death of his best friend. According to his coach, Bokuto's health was a winding clock ticking down to disaster.

Takeda found that hard to believe. Yes, Bokuto was a larger man, and he didn't restrain himself when it came to food, but hadn't he done those same exercises time and time again? Takeda had seen him play in person and the kid was a stamina beast, enduring anything thrown his way. What, or who, had forced this star to collapse?

* * *

"Professor" Ittetsu turned around from where he was wiping off the blackboard to see Sugawara Koushi standing in front of his desk. He had just come back to class after a few absences following Daichi's death. The professor hadn't inquired as to why they were necessary, remembering very well when he'd see Sawamura and Sugawara sitting side by side, occasionally whispering to each other with flushed cheeks and shiny round eyes. Instead he had sent Sugawara notes of his class that he thought were important and updated him on all the material he was losing via email. 

"Yes, Koushi?" Takeda lamented how deep and dull his student's eyes were. If Sugawara were to ask for an assignment to amend his absences he'd give him a one page dissertation on black holes. He couldn't bear to bring more mental stress into this person's life.

"Bokuto," Koushi hesitated when Takeda's back straightened into attention. It had been a couple days since he had investigated Kuroo's death place and the only clue he had was that he was showing signs of extreme anxiety and fear, although no threats seemed to be around. The investigation had staggered and with thankfully no more deaths to be added he had nothing to look into really. He had started to lose hope but maybe a break in the case would come.

The younger cleared his throat before composing himself, his voice adopted a more respectable tone. "Bokuto had a boyfriend. Akaashi. I met him at a party a few days before Kuroo died," his voice broke, he blinked quickly, willing the tears that started to pool in his eyes to leave. "He's from a college in another town."

Takeda nodded reassuringly when Sugawara seemed to have difficulties continuing. 

"He-" the student choked and tears started spilling from his eyes and down his sunken cheeks. Ittetsu's face pinched at the sight before he walked around the table to lay a comforting hand on his student's shoulder. Even though he was glad Koushi had found something important to tell him he couldn't see where this was going. Was Sugawara hoping Takeda would interview Akaashi like he'd done to him and others close to the three? 

"You've been asking questions and I think you're investigating right?" Koushi sobbed into the sleeve of the pullover he was wearing, forcing himself to talk.

"Yes I am. but-" he wanted to say _don't get hopeful_. Takeda himself wasn't believing this investigation would go anywhere.

The student must have seen the doubts in his eyes, for he immediately took a deep breath, righting his posture. His brown eyes were determined and resolute, but all the confidence couldn't conceal the sadness in them.

"Akaashi is dead."

* * *

The fourth victim was Akaashi Keiji. 

Takeda was pained to admit he knew terribly little about him and the night of his death. If not for Sugawara telling him the news his death would've passed without his knowledge because even if the professor had religiously read the newspaper every morning, attentive to the obituaries, Akaashi's had never appeared in it. Understandably, since the man was from another town.

Besides dating the most eligible jock in their college, Akaashi mostly kept it to himself and didn't stir trouble the few times he came to visit Bokuto. He also made a point to never stray from the athlete's side to make acquaintances or meet new people, enjoying every little moment they had together before another long period of distance started. 

From what he gathered in his research Mr. Akaashi had spent the days prior at his parents house, healing from his boyfriend's sudden death in the company of loved ones. On the night of his death he was returning to his apartment that he shared with another friend, when his car steered off road and crashed into a tree, killing him. According to medical exams he had died instantly. 

Takeda didn't know enough about Keiji to assume his death was uncharacteristic and from an outsider's perspective it wasn't farfetched. His high school sweetheart had just died a couple days ago, from a heart attack no less. He had missed days of classes and assignments. He was mentally stressed, he was exhausted, it was dark at night. Maybe he had fallen asleep on the wheel? Maybe an animal got in his way? Maybe he had gotten distracted by something? Something curious enough that he hadn't been able to pay attention to his driving and notice that he was going full speed straight into a tree? Maybe he had done it on purpose, like Daichi, a mental breakdown that ended in suicide. No one would ever know. 

Despite how infuriatingly little he could gather from Akaashi's death, the big break in the case Ittetsu had hoped for arrived.

The party. 

Sugawara had said he had attended a party at Bokuto and Kuroo's fraternity the Saturday before the deaths started. According to him Daichi left his side to go talk to Kuroo. Other witnesses at the party had confirmed that Daichi approached Kuroo and the small group he was a part of consistenting of Bokuto, Akaashi and a tall blonde boy. Not long after he arrived the five of them made their way to the basement and, if the statements he got were to be trusted, Daichi seemed hesitant and uncomfortable. As to why they were headed to the basement, Mr. Suguru was able to provide the answer, affirming that they had most likely gone to the theater room located there.

There it was. The link Takeda had been searching. These four victims are found all alone in the same room, just days before they died in different unrelated circumstances. Somehow that was where the stories converged. Whatever happened in that room set forth a chain of irreversible tragedies.

And there was only one person alive who could answer his questions

* * *

The tall blonde man at the party turned out to be Tsukishima Kei, the friend Mr. Akaashi shared an apartment with.

Takeda had this terrible feeling that if he didn't contact Tsukishima soon he wouldn't be able to do it later. Some might say it was only obvious given what he had discovered so far and where everything was pointing to. Five people were in that room. Four died. It was only a matter of logic. 

He managed to get his hands on Tsukishima's number, graciously handed to him by Konoha, a student that had attended high school with Bokuto and Akaashi and was acquainted with Kei. Takeda thanked him with a pained smile, pitying this kid who had lost two close friends in a week. They parted ways but not before Konoha told him he wasn't sure if Tsukishima would agree to an interview, the blonde was the no nonsense type and a conspiracy that connected the death of four people he had contact with, and possibly hinted at his impending doom, fitted into that category. 

As the phone rang dread filled him. What if he had come so close to learning the truth only to be left with more questions than answers by the end of all this? 

"Hello" a tired monotone voice answered the other end of the line, the tone was borderline bored, but Ittetsu still could detect a youthful lit in it.

"Hi!" he exclaimed, suddenly flustered. "Uh- I'm professor Takeda from UFN. I'm calling because of the party you attended a couple days ago, at a fraternity here on campus. I'm not sure if you recall it..." he trailed off, uncertain. Tsukishima had been dead silent during this entire time and Takeda couldn't be sure he had even heard him breath. Maybe he had already hung up, he thought as he moved the phone away from his face to check the screen. Before he could confirm it though the line cracked with Tsukishima clearing his throat. 

"Yes, I… I do recall that night."

* * *

Mr. Tsukishima was a composed, pristine, serious and smart individual. That Takeda could gather from just a couple minutes in his presence, swiping pleasantries while the young man served them both some coffee.

Still, Takeda could see the shake to his fingertips, the glossed over eyes and the dark circles under them. He had a feeling that this was the closest this man looked to distraught, which would be understandable considering he was mourning the loss of a close friend. However the older could also see the fright behind the lenses of his glasses and he knew the cause for those feelings was something a lot deeper and harder to comprehend.

Tsukishima wasn't staying at the apartment he shared with Akaashi anymore and they arranged to meet at his family home. Not being able to restraint himself for longer - not when the answers to a thousand questions were so close, Takeda started asking about that night at the party. Tsukishima of course expected it for this was the reason for their meeting, still the professor couldn't help but notice the hesitance on his voice.

Perhaps it was fear of relieving the memories.

* * *

"Please, no."

Akaashi silently snickered from where he was walking besides Tsukishima, the blonde turning his head to give the other the most sour look he could muster.

"Not everyone attending is a frat boy Tsukishima, there's people like you and me there." Akaashi said amused, hoping to make his companion feel better. In all honesty Keiji knew Tsukishima wasn't as disturbed to be hanging out in a frat house as he made it look, the blonde just had a front to keep and being difficult and too good for most environments was part of it. So for the small mercy of having his friend accompany him to the party Akaashi would play his part and be the "pushy" friend, for Tsukishima would have an excuse as to why he was there. It was tiring and bothersome but if this was the price to pay, he thought it wasn't completely unreasonable.

They entered the big house and it was exactly how Tsukishima predicted it would be: hot, humid, stuffy and loud. He followed Akaashi around for some time, mingling. They weren't from this university, instead they went to the college a town away but that didn't mean there weren't some familiar faces among the crowd, and soon enough Keiji was whisked away from his side to spend some private time with his boyfriend, Bokuto Kotaro, who was the sole reason that they were attending the party. On their campus Tsukishima made it a point to not associate himself with any type of big group of males, including and mainly, males from frat houses. It wasn't that he thought he was better than them, just that he found any group of young boys together hilarious, and he didn't think the frat kids would be happy to spend time with someone who made fun of their every sentence. But since Kotaro asked Keiji, and hell would freeze over before someone told Bokuto no, they were here. Kei only met the athlete a couple times but it didn't take a genius to understand why it was so hard to do so. Bokuto's boisterous confidence was gravitational, and it was hard not orbiting about his every decision. If he said the party would be fun then it would. Who were they to argue.

So Tsukishima was left to drift alone through the alien crowd surrounding him, exactly like Akaashi had assured him wouldn’t happen, but hey he didn’t get to see his lover all that often, every opportunity should be taken advantage of.

Thankfully, before he could look too lame and like a lost puppy inside the house a tall boy with dark hair approached him, a lazy smirk on his face and a charming glint in his eyes.

"You're here with Bo's boyfriend right? Akaashi?" smooth voice and attitude.

Tsukishima eyed him up and down with mild interest before nodding. He didn't look too bad.

"Kuroo Tetsurou. Bokuto's best friend." he grinned offering his hand.

Tsukishima accepted the greeting, introducing himself too.

Not long after that the duo was found in the corner of the living room, trading touches and teasing smiles. Kei learned fast enough that Kuroo was from the same fraternity as Bokuto, after half a dozen drunk people asked him where this was or where who was. The discovery set him aback a bit but a couple minutes of pleasant conversation later he decided that Kuroo wasn't as bad as he thought a frat boy would be.

Time passed without Kei taking notice, only realizing he had neglected to pay attention to anything but the companion in front of him when Akaashi came stumbling down the stairs, Bokuto's arm gripping him firmly around the waist to prevent any accidents from happening. Keiji's eyeliner was smudged and his lips were bright pink and swollen, a hazy pleased curve to them. Gross.

Kuroo teasingly shoulder bumped Bokuto, giving him a shit eating grin, allowing Tsukishima a small glimpse of the boyish side of him that had been missing for the entire night. Now he could see Kuroo being part of a fraternity and best bros with Bokuto. It didn't bother him as much as he would like to admit. He was finding it charming, actually. Damn, what kind of spell he was under?

The four of them had some drinks and talked, Kei found himself orbiting closer and closer to Kuroo throughout the night, until he had Kuroo’s arm encircled around his waist and his lips kissing his jaw. Akaashi kept sending him smug looks from where he was trapped between Bokuto's arms, hugging him from behind, but Tsukishima couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed or glare back. He was having fun, Kuroo was nice, he was pleasantly drunk and the conversation was good. Also the soft touches weren't so bad. He could allow himself to be mushy and gross for a night. Who was he trying to impress with his cool act anyway?

"Tetsu" a short burled man with brown hair called out, smiling amiably as he pushed through the mass of bodies to get to them. He had kind eyes and a red solo cup in hand.

"Sa'amura, what's up?" Kuroo slurred grinning.

Once Sa'amura? was close enough, he and Kuroo high fived before he moved to greet Bokuto with the weird shoulder bump most boys did. At last he turned to Akaashi and Tsukishima nodding cordially in their direction and introducing himself as Daichi Sawamura, not part of the fraternity and apparently not a close friend of Kuroo and Bokuto either, what with the stiff and unsure way he was acting.

"Kai told me you added some movies to that collection of yours?" Daichi scratched the back of his neck giving Kuroo a sheepish, almost apologetic grimace. But whatever negative reaction he expected didn't come.

"Oh, yeah I did!" Kuroo exclaimed suddenly excited, eyes shining with glee. "You wanna watch it?" 

Daichi's eyebrows rose, caught off guard by the offer. "Now?" he glanced around the group, eyes pointedly looking at the two outsiders. Tsukishima arched an unimpressed eyebrow back. Despite Daichi's hesitance he was glad to see Kuroo didn't share the same sentiment as him, dismissing his worries with a wave.

"Yeah, Tsukki and Akaashi should watch it too. What do you two think?" he turned expectantly to the both of them, eyes intense and an impatient bounce to his leg. It was clear that he really wanted to watch the movie now for some reason. A glance to his right and he saw Keiji twisting in his boyfriend's embrace to look up at him for his opinion. For his part Kotaro didn't seem opposed, nor inclined, weirdly his gold wide eyes were watching the four of them with total indifference, almost bored. When Akaashi quirked an eyebrow in question he merely shrugged. That was mildly disconcerting since the ace would usually be loudly pronouncing his agreement or lack of it.

Keiji also seemed slightly put off by his partner's lack of enthusiasm, if the frown he gave Bokuto was anything to go by. He turned, making eye contact with Tsukishima, a two seconds silent conversation between them before agreeing. Kei knew Akaashi was more interested in sitting down and cuddling with his boyfriend for a bit than in the movie itself. Tsukishima too had his reasons, since he was hoping Kuroo was eager to leave the party because they would have an excuse to make out, in a quiet and private room, and not for the film itself.

“Are you sure? Shouldn’t you be more careful with it?” Daichi frowned disapprovingly at Kuroo who, like Bokuto, merely shrugged.

“Nah, they got good heads. You should worry about Bo here.” he laughed, patting Bokuto’s head before his hand was slapped away with a grumble.

Kuroo laced their fingers together as the five of them made their way to the theater room, at the basement of the house. A testament of how drunk Tsukishima was is the fact that the thought of what kind of movie they would be watching didn't even cross his mind before they entered the room. He figured the worst it could be was an indie gore movie or a porn. But that was before the smell of pot and liquor hit him smack in the face once they crossed the door, making a nervous tingle take over his body. Suddenly his mind was clear and he could see a thousand bad things happening right now. What if "movie" was the secret word for some sort of drug? Would Tetsurou and Bokuto pressure Keiji and him into using it? Now that he thought of it he couldn't help realizing how stupid he was being. Of course it wasn't just a movie, who approaches another person in a party, late into the night, to ask if they could watch a movie? No wonder Daichi was so hesitant about the two of them coming along.

With clammy hands and agitated eyes, Kei watched Bokuto make his way towards an old two seats couch with Akaashi, a big bag of chips in his hand, Daichi fell to a bean bag away from them still looking slightly uncomfortable. Kuroo was leisurely pacing along, like a panther, a wall full of shelves holding video game cases, DVDs, sports memorabilia, random knick knacks and cables. He crouched down in front of a lower cupboard under the shelves before opening it with a grin and reaching out for whatever he was looking for.

He straightened up holding a collection of classic VHS tapes on his hand, grinning proudly when Daichi asked to see them closer.

Kei felt his shoulders relax like a physical weight had been lifted from them. It really was just a damn movie.

"Have you seen one of these before Tsukki?" Kuroo asked, passing him two of the tapes.

"Are you serious?" Kei asked, irritated, picking up the tape. He looked at the simple white cases presented to him, one had a green stripe along the spine and was named "Green-Leaf-3". The other had a purple stripe, the name "Purple-Moon-4" on the cover. Both had a black outline in the cover: a leaf and a moon. He snorted "What are these? Home videos?"

"No." Kuroo scowled, snatching the tapes from his hands. Tsukishima heard Akaashi giggling and turned towards the couch he and Bokuto occupied. Keiji had his legs thrown over Bokuto's lap and was shoving potato chips down his boyfriend's throat like a doting mother. Kei quickly swiveled around fixing his gaze on Kuroo who was fidgeting with an old VHS player, trying to put on the "Purple-Moon-4" video. Daichi had stopped gawking at the stupid tapes and was instead staring at the white screen in front of them. Tsukishima noted how he was messing with the hem of his pants and chewing on his lips, like a nervous person would do.

"Fucking finally" Kuroo grumbled walking towards Kei. He placed both hands on Tsukishima's hips, steering the blonde towards an armchair close to Bokuto and Akaashi. He sat down before tugging Kei to sit on his lap. 

"Okay, here we go."

And he pressed play.

* * *

"After watching it we left." Tsukishima finished.

Takeda blinked, trying to clear his mind and formulate his questions.

He cleared his throat before asking "Would you mind telling me what was on that tape, Mr. Tsukishima?"

Tsukishima turned to him and Takeda was forced to look into his hollow eyes. He shook his head.

"No. I… I can't remember"

"Are you sure? Anything would be-"

"I'm sure" Tsukishima cut him off and Takeda understood that he'd get no answer for that question. Still it bothered him immensely. 

"Did you feel any changes after finishing the tape?"

The silence that followed the question was a long and tense one. Tsukishima's honey eyes darted left and right and the trembling on his fingers got worse, to the point where he was twisting them together on his lap with a white grip to prevent it from being more visible. He was clearly scared, trying to search for the right words to convey what he was thinking but apparently having no success. Takeda was sure that being at a loss for words wasn't common for the boy in front of him.

At last, the skinny frail boy leaned forward, the primal fear in his eyes was one of the most disturbing things the professor had ever seen. Tsukishima's pale lips parted with a whisper:

"Do you see the lines that connect the stars?"

* * *

Tsukishima Kei was the fifth and final victim. 

He committed suicide the same evening Takeda visited him, hanging himself with his room's curtains by the window, before sunset.

* * *

After returning to campus Takeda went immediately to the fraternity house in hopes of finding the tapes but they were all gone. Someone had taken them. The professor could only hope that whoever had been they wouldn't give in to curiosity or temptation and make the mistake of watching them.

* * *

Do you see now? Do you see how they're all connected?

Kuroo Tetsurou. Hiding from the sky above him beneath a dirty bridge, using drugs in hope of escaping from whatever was causing his torment.

Bokuto Kotaro. A fearless and ruthless boy, who carried the pride of his whole school on his back was brought down by fear.

Sawamura Daichi. Cowering from a sight he couldn't hide from. Then making sure he'd never get to see it again.

Akaashi Keiji. Looked up at the stars, the place his beloved belonged, only to be betrayed by the dark sky.

Tsukishima Kei. Surrendering before the starry night.

They were all present in the theater room that night but only this fact wouldn't explain their deaths. They all saw it. Whatever it was they witnessed on that tape they saw it again before dying. It unraveled itself to them one by one.

Takeda just didn't know what. Did the tape made them mad or did the tape made them see?

In ancient times the Greeks believed the gods themselves had positioned the stars in the sky, gifting us a tapestry of ancient legends above our heads. But what if the message they convey isn't a blessing, but instead a curse?

When you observe the dark sky, what do you see? 

You see the stars.

But do you see the lines that connect them?

**Author's Note:**

> inspired https://fullbodychillspodcast.com/pareidolia/


End file.
